9:30 am
First of all I am COLD. Second of all I am kind of disappointed with my inherent laziness. It is already 9:30 for crying out loud!! At least today, which has the possibility of being a lovely day, I do not have to go anywhere. I will have to think about getting started on grading labs. I have a full set of muscle drawings which should not take very long, and a full set of Materials and Methods and Results for the feeding kinematics which will take longer.
But I do not want to grade labs. Hmmmm. Maybe that is a problem, since I am after all, inherently lazy. Well, not really totally lazy. After all, I rarely just do nothing, I’m certainly not one to sit and watch tv with a bowl of Doritos by my side. Well, maybe I would do that if I also had my knitting…. Except that thank goodness I do not have tv. And I only do that with a movie pretty rarely. But I do enjoy just sitting. Just sitting and doing nothing. Not even meditating. Just doing nothing at all. It is very lovely at times. Right now I am thinking that it would be very nice to just sit and do nothing in front of the wood stove which is going, but has not yet effectively warmed where I am sitting at the computer.
It would be far nicer to just sit and do nothing in front of the wood stove than it would be to tackle the disaster that is my kitchen table which is covered in such treasures as all sorts of insurance forms that must be dealt with. At least over the past few days I have found the Next Barn Over CSA form and the Hartsbrook School Winter Fair form to fill out and return. Check. There is also the disaster that is the kitchen counters. Did I not just wash plastic bags? I took lovely photos of them drying on the line. Well, another mass of them has accumulated waiting to be washed. Never ending. And there is the disaster that is the sun room – full of fiberous wonderfulness, but in a disastrous chaos. And soon it will be unbearably frigid out there and bundling up to organize will be pretty miserable.
I think I will go find a nice place to sit and meditate….
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Best Friends
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Morning Pages?
8:15 am
This is not the real idea – sitting here at the computer, attempting to write while also eating breakfast and the radio (Morning Edition) playing in the background. Are these Morning Pages? Hardly. Ok the radio is off, at least that is a start. But the reality is that I must leave for work very soon so I must keep munching the breakfast (or slurping it – it is oat bran cereal and quite liquidy) and will have to give it all up in a minute anyway to go feed buns. K is off hunting turkeys at the farm today, and G is helping out with the HS play – Outside Over there - so I will have a nice quiet evening. I think I will continue spinning the black angora that I started last night. And listen to the cd that I started about the woman who remembers every day of her life from when she was 14 on. Hard to even imagine and there sure as hell are plenty of days I’d rather not remember. I guess I’d better give up on my silly multitasking and get a move on.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
This is not the real idea – sitting here at the computer, attempting to write while also eating breakfast and the radio (Morning Edition) playing in the background. Are these Morning Pages? Hardly. Ok the radio is off, at least that is a start. But the reality is that I must leave for work very soon so I must keep munching the breakfast (or slurping it – it is oat bran cereal and quite liquidy) and will have to give it all up in a minute anyway to go feed buns. K is off hunting turkeys at the farm today, and G is helping out with the HS play – Outside Over there - so I will have a nice quiet evening. I think I will continue spinning the black angora that I started last night. And listen to the cd that I started about the woman who remembers every day of her life from when she was 14 on. Hard to even imagine and there sure as hell are plenty of days I’d rather not remember. I guess I’d better give up on my silly multitasking and get a move on.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Heat, and Salvies and little fiber
9 am
I made the decision about 2 minutes ago that I would not take the 9:10 bus – pretty easy decision since I am not ready and the bunnies have not been fed. So I will take the 9:40 bus, for which I’ll need to leave the house just after 9:30 meaning I have a bit of time to write before I must do buns and book.
The muscle lab went pretty well yesterday. One more today. Not perfect but pretty well. I wish I was more comfortable with these muscles. I don’t think the prof will be around this afternoon, so the cat dissection may be a bit dicey. And this group is somewhat less forgiving. The Wednesday group I can distract with goodies (pumpkin bread with chocolate chips yesterday) but this group seems uninterested in such things.
I went to Salvies last night. It was packed with students looking for Halloween costumes. If I had been less rushed I would have enjoyed just watching them. As it was, though, I arrived after 7 and had limited time to grab every possible pair of black pants off the rack and whip into a dressing room to try them on before they started announcing that the dressing rooms would be closing in 15 minutes….5 minutes…..closed! I found 3 pairs of pants and a few shirts. And today I am wearing the one short sleeved shirt I bought because the lab room yesterday was sweltering! Even with the windows all fully open, since it was hot outside yesterday. In October! Less than a week before Halloween!
Fibrous: I am still working on the hat to go with the scarf. What will I do next? I want to do a lot of carding, maybe I will concentrate on that this weekend. I have managed to do a good bit of bunny plucking, so they are nearly all set. A few babies need a first cut. Of course I also need to start spinning the black angora for the scarf. And soon will be the Hartsbrook fair and I must be ready for that.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
I made the decision about 2 minutes ago that I would not take the 9:10 bus – pretty easy decision since I am not ready and the bunnies have not been fed. So I will take the 9:40 bus, for which I’ll need to leave the house just after 9:30 meaning I have a bit of time to write before I must do buns and book.
The muscle lab went pretty well yesterday. One more today. Not perfect but pretty well. I wish I was more comfortable with these muscles. I don’t think the prof will be around this afternoon, so the cat dissection may be a bit dicey. And this group is somewhat less forgiving. The Wednesday group I can distract with goodies (pumpkin bread with chocolate chips yesterday) but this group seems uninterested in such things.
I went to Salvies last night. It was packed with students looking for Halloween costumes. If I had been less rushed I would have enjoyed just watching them. As it was, though, I arrived after 7 and had limited time to grab every possible pair of black pants off the rack and whip into a dressing room to try them on before they started announcing that the dressing rooms would be closing in 15 minutes….5 minutes…..closed! I found 3 pairs of pants and a few shirts. And today I am wearing the one short sleeved shirt I bought because the lab room yesterday was sweltering! Even with the windows all fully open, since it was hot outside yesterday. In October! Less than a week before Halloween!
Fibrous: I am still working on the hat to go with the scarf. What will I do next? I want to do a lot of carding, maybe I will concentrate on that this weekend. I have managed to do a good bit of bunny plucking, so they are nearly all set. A few babies need a first cut. Of course I also need to start spinning the black angora for the scarf. And soon will be the Hartsbrook fair and I must be ready for that.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Muscles etc
8 am
Having a hard time getting started today. Well, that’s really nothing so unusual; it is pretty common that when I first get up I feel depressed and unmotivated. This week in lab we are doing muscles. Meaning that I have been trying very hard to learn these muscles, something I have never really studied before.
Tibialis Anticus Longus. Number 4 in this image. How does that sound? And once I have got the names down (only 6 for the frog, 7 for the cat, not unbearable), I must be able to find them to help the students find them! We’ll see how it goes. At least on Wed the prof will be around in his office so if I get stuck I can go drag him in. It seems a shame to have entire preserved cats when all we will be looking at is the hind limbs. I guess I’ll keep them around and perhaps they’ll get used for something else.
I MUST send in my application for the Hartsbrook fair. It’s been sitting here on the table, lost amidst the debris, and I just found it. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what DBA meant as I was trying to fill it out last night. I googled it this morning (hurray for Wikipedia – they have abbreviations entries) and it means “doing business as.” Why the hell don’t they just write “business name”… oh well. Now I can mail it off. For some reason K is here this morning, I guess he does not have to get into work until late, and it is very distracting to me. In fact, I think I will stop and do something else productive and finish writing once he leaves.
Ok, the place is clear and I have it to myself. Reminds me of how I used to not be able to meditate if K was around. I knew he didn’t like it and I wanted to avoid his judgment. At least I am past that. If he doesn’t like it, it is his tough noogies. But I don’t like writing because I hate the idea of someone perhaps reading a snippit of what I am writing. It makes me feel more constrained. Another excellent reason to get my own little laptop. Well maybe someday…..when I have all sorts of disposable income and no need to buy a new fridge, fix the washing machine, figure out if I can get G out to visit McCallister College and/or Carlton………
How odd, my arm is a little sore, and it reminded me that I had a dream that I had a huge purple bruise on my arm. I also dreamt a version of the apartment dream that I often have. Where we have moved into some sort of apartment. Usually it is one that we have had for ages but not lived in for some reason. Very odd.
Meanwhile, as I waited to get back to morning pages, I started a fire, started a laundry, and cut up the rest of the beef from the meat csa and put it in the oven to make beef jerky. Oh I do love beef jerky and it is a good way to preserve it, since eating an entire roast is more than we can do before it would spoil. So I have been productive. And I filled out the Hartsbrook form and will send it off.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Having a hard time getting started today. Well, that’s really nothing so unusual; it is pretty common that when I first get up I feel depressed and unmotivated. This week in lab we are doing muscles. Meaning that I have been trying very hard to learn these muscles, something I have never really studied before.
Tibialis Anticus Longus. Number 4 in this image. How does that sound? And once I have got the names down (only 6 for the frog, 7 for the cat, not unbearable), I must be able to find them to help the students find them! We’ll see how it goes. At least on Wed the prof will be around in his office so if I get stuck I can go drag him in. It seems a shame to have entire preserved cats when all we will be looking at is the hind limbs. I guess I’ll keep them around and perhaps they’ll get used for something else.
I MUST send in my application for the Hartsbrook fair. It’s been sitting here on the table, lost amidst the debris, and I just found it. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what DBA meant as I was trying to fill it out last night. I googled it this morning (hurray for Wikipedia – they have abbreviations entries) and it means “doing business as.” Why the hell don’t they just write “business name”… oh well. Now I can mail it off. For some reason K is here this morning, I guess he does not have to get into work until late, and it is very distracting to me. In fact, I think I will stop and do something else productive and finish writing once he leaves.
Ok, the place is clear and I have it to myself. Reminds me of how I used to not be able to meditate if K was around. I knew he didn’t like it and I wanted to avoid his judgment. At least I am past that. If he doesn’t like it, it is his tough noogies. But I don’t like writing because I hate the idea of someone perhaps reading a snippit of what I am writing. It makes me feel more constrained. Another excellent reason to get my own little laptop. Well maybe someday…..when I have all sorts of disposable income and no need to buy a new fridge, fix the washing machine, figure out if I can get G out to visit McCallister College and/or Carlton………
How odd, my arm is a little sore, and it reminded me that I had a dream that I had a huge purple bruise on my arm. I also dreamt a version of the apartment dream that I often have. Where we have moved into some sort of apartment. Usually it is one that we have had for ages but not lived in for some reason. Very odd.
Meanwhile, as I waited to get back to morning pages, I started a fire, started a laundry, and cut up the rest of the beef from the meat csa and put it in the oven to make beef jerky. Oh I do love beef jerky and it is a good way to preserve it, since eating an entire roast is more than we can do before it would spoil. So I have been productive. And I filled out the Hartsbrook form and will send it off.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Monday, October 25, 2010
of This is a test. I will see if I can upload photos from the computer.....
hurray!!! It worked (I removed cookies from Firefox per a Blogger suggestion)
Of course it is a terrible photo. Let's see if this one is any better:
or how about all of these. None are so great, but there it is. My nearly finished pinkish scarf - needs ends sewed in - my latest wrist-warmer, and an even later latest wrist warmer that needs to be sewed up.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Of course it is a terrible photo. Let's see if this one is any better:
or how about all of these. None are so great, but there it is. My nearly finished pinkish scarf - needs ends sewed in - my latest wrist-warmer, and an even later latest wrist warmer that needs to be sewed up.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Karaoke
9:30 am
Last night was KARAOKE!!!! Three friends and I went and it was a blast. It was a bit of a panic at first - when we arrived, we found that they have converted a large section of the Singing Rooms to restaurant space. We were afraid the Singing Rooms were completely gone and what would we do? All dressed up and nowhere to go! But we went in and asked and they still have a couple in the back, so it was fine. And this time I really was all dressed up. I had on the tiny little black dress with the sparkles. It is too small in reality, but perfect for this. And I really jelled out my hair and took the time to blow dry it so it actually looked good! AND I think I nailed the make-up. Me – Ms. Makeup Challenged! I put on a lot of liner, and for me a lot of eye shadow and it actually looked great! Well, appropriate for the situation. I don’t suppose I’ll be wearing that to work anytime soon. Not what you’d call appropriate for doing a cat muscle dissection, which is what we worked on yesterday, and we will be doing next week.
So besides some rabbit work, what I really need to work on today is cleaning. The kitchen table is a complete disaster. And it is sunny today so I’d better continue work on laundry. The washing machine is doing this annoying thing of not draining completely unless I turn off the water and repeat the high speed spin. This means that I have to make several trips down to the basement for each load, and it makes the whole process a lot more complex. This has slowed the ongoing and never-ending laundry cycle, so it has been accumulating. I did manage to get a lot sorted and put away last night (before Karaoke), but there is more and it never ends. I guess I’d better get a move on.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Last night was KARAOKE!!!! Three friends and I went and it was a blast. It was a bit of a panic at first - when we arrived, we found that they have converted a large section of the Singing Rooms to restaurant space. We were afraid the Singing Rooms were completely gone and what would we do? All dressed up and nowhere to go! But we went in and asked and they still have a couple in the back, so it was fine. And this time I really was all dressed up. I had on the tiny little black dress with the sparkles. It is too small in reality, but perfect for this. And I really jelled out my hair and took the time to blow dry it so it actually looked good! AND I think I nailed the make-up. Me – Ms. Makeup Challenged! I put on a lot of liner, and for me a lot of eye shadow and it actually looked great! Well, appropriate for the situation. I don’t suppose I’ll be wearing that to work anytime soon. Not what you’d call appropriate for doing a cat muscle dissection, which is what we worked on yesterday, and we will be doing next week.
So besides some rabbit work, what I really need to work on today is cleaning. The kitchen table is a complete disaster. And it is sunny today so I’d better continue work on laundry. The washing machine is doing this annoying thing of not draining completely unless I turn off the water and repeat the high speed spin. This means that I have to make several trips down to the basement for each load, and it makes the whole process a lot more complex. This has slowed the ongoing and never-ending laundry cycle, so it has been accumulating. I did manage to get a lot sorted and put away last night (before Karaoke), but there is more and it never ends. I guess I’d better get a move on.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Thursday, October 21, 2010
7:45 am
Up reasonably early, and I took the Nyquil again, but just once when I went to bed, so I don’t feel drugged this morning. I did my stretches, I feel reasonably on top of things. I need to leave for work at 9 or 9:30, so until then I will see if I can do some spinning….. or grade those exam pages….or empty the dishwasher…..manymany options. I do want to meditate, way too often that gets put aside. And there are still buns to feed and breakfast to eat and lunch to make.
Yesterday we did bones in lab. It was ok. The prof loved it because they were all so busy and quiet. I found it kind of boring. Not much for me to do. Maybe today I’ll correct yesterday’s papers while they draw. The amazing thing is that this has forced me to learn all those bones. I now know my ulna from my radius, my parietal from my occipital! And the exam was way too easy. I think that is partly my fault because of my comments. Well, next one….
My big accomplishment (in terms of getting those annoying “things left hanging” done) was to make it to the Post Office after work and buy stamps (and I still caught the bus!). That meant I could stamp all those letters the kids wrote to President Obama on 10/10/10. Now I just have to put them in the mailbox on the way out. One thing done.
K will be off in Clarksburg tonight. He is going to Adams to pick up his bow and then he will spend Friday at the farm practicing shooting it. Oh so cool. It means that I am footloose and fancy-free tonight. And then tomorrow we have Karaoke!!! What will I do tonight? I would like to spin. I find that now with the dark coming so early, and with the cold, that once I come inside that is that, I don’t want to go back out for anything. But with most of my fiber stuff out in the sunroom, it means that nothing fibrous gets done once it is dark. But that is silly. It is also silly that I can’t get myself to take the compost out in the dark. It has nothing to do with fear, just some sort of reluctance or laziness. Because it means putting something warm on, putting on shoes or boots, turning on lights. Oh so so much work! I have to work on pushing myself past some of these things a little better. And I find that once dinner has been cooked and eaten, I am DONE. I will put food away and load the dishwasher (provided it is not full), but that is about all. I will not empty the dishwasher in order to fill it. I will not take out compost. I will not do any more cleaning or tidying. And since what with work and all, I probably did no cleaning or tidying earlier, well, it does not get done!
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Up reasonably early, and I took the Nyquil again, but just once when I went to bed, so I don’t feel drugged this morning. I did my stretches, I feel reasonably on top of things. I need to leave for work at 9 or 9:30, so until then I will see if I can do some spinning….. or grade those exam pages….or empty the dishwasher…..manymany options. I do want to meditate, way too often that gets put aside. And there are still buns to feed and breakfast to eat and lunch to make.
Yesterday we did bones in lab. It was ok. The prof loved it because they were all so busy and quiet. I found it kind of boring. Not much for me to do. Maybe today I’ll correct yesterday’s papers while they draw. The amazing thing is that this has forced me to learn all those bones. I now know my ulna from my radius, my parietal from my occipital! And the exam was way too easy. I think that is partly my fault because of my comments. Well, next one….
My big accomplishment (in terms of getting those annoying “things left hanging” done) was to make it to the Post Office after work and buy stamps (and I still caught the bus!). That meant I could stamp all those letters the kids wrote to President Obama on 10/10/10. Now I just have to put them in the mailbox on the way out. One thing done.
K will be off in Clarksburg tonight. He is going to Adams to pick up his bow and then he will spend Friday at the farm practicing shooting it. Oh so cool. It means that I am footloose and fancy-free tonight. And then tomorrow we have Karaoke!!! What will I do tonight? I would like to spin. I find that now with the dark coming so early, and with the cold, that once I come inside that is that, I don’t want to go back out for anything. But with most of my fiber stuff out in the sunroom, it means that nothing fibrous gets done once it is dark. But that is silly. It is also silly that I can’t get myself to take the compost out in the dark. It has nothing to do with fear, just some sort of reluctance or laziness. Because it means putting something warm on, putting on shoes or boots, turning on lights. Oh so so much work! I have to work on pushing myself past some of these things a little better. And I find that once dinner has been cooked and eaten, I am DONE. I will put food away and load the dishwasher (provided it is not full), but that is about all. I will not empty the dishwasher in order to fill it. I will not take out compost. I will not do any more cleaning or tidying. And since what with work and all, I probably did no cleaning or tidying earlier, well, it does not get done!
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
cookies!
7:30 am
Blah. My cold is worse, and last night I took Nyquil, which was a good thing as it meant I actually slept, but this morning it is still in my system and I feel like garbage. Here’s the good news: I finally wrote the recommendation that has been hanging over my head for so long! The student is applying for something and there was a deadline of October 22. I emailed her it was done and she replied that her deadline has changed, they don’t need it so soon, and I am very glad she did not tell me that before because I would have put it off for even longer.
I made some fabulous cookies last night. I don’t know why but I was restless and could not just sit myself down to spin or knit. That is often the case – because things are not set up comfortably in the living room for such pastimes? So instead I made fabulous chocolate/chocolate chip cookies. Did I say they are fabulous? Even G likes them, though when K took two into the living room to eat, he came back into the kitchen and put one back. Then I saw him go into the bathroom with the one in his hand and I heard the water run. He must have rinsed his mouth. I almost told him that if he didn’t like it he should give it to me (did I adequately express the fabulosity?), but I didn’t. I think he tossed it and rinsed out his mouth! I think he was terribly disappointed. Oh well. Too chocolate for his taste I guess. I made them with much less sugar than the recipe called for, which I guess didn’t appeal, but then I am the 90% chocolate fiend, while he likes Hershey’s “dark” chocolate which has like 5 bazillion grams of sugar. I will bring them in to work today, but I will forewarn the students. I do like to experiment, and they are often the “beneficiaries” meaning that they get what comes to them. If they want reliably excellent (and way way way too sugary) they can stick with the college’s cookies.
I do like to write and thing about food! In fact I spend just tons of time thinking about it. I cooked up some goat meat the other day, and left a couple of pieces for the prof to try. I wonder if he did. He seems to like to experiment with food, and I think their family diet is pretty traditional. So I can supply the new and different, at least in these few instances.
I think I’d better get a move on. I might actually make the 8:15 bus.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Blah. My cold is worse, and last night I took Nyquil, which was a good thing as it meant I actually slept, but this morning it is still in my system and I feel like garbage. Here’s the good news: I finally wrote the recommendation that has been hanging over my head for so long! The student is applying for something and there was a deadline of October 22. I emailed her it was done and she replied that her deadline has changed, they don’t need it so soon, and I am very glad she did not tell me that before because I would have put it off for even longer.
I made some fabulous cookies last night. I don’t know why but I was restless and could not just sit myself down to spin or knit. That is often the case – because things are not set up comfortably in the living room for such pastimes? So instead I made fabulous chocolate/chocolate chip cookies. Did I say they are fabulous? Even G likes them, though when K took two into the living room to eat, he came back into the kitchen and put one back. Then I saw him go into the bathroom with the one in his hand and I heard the water run. He must have rinsed his mouth. I almost told him that if he didn’t like it he should give it to me (did I adequately express the fabulosity?), but I didn’t. I think he tossed it and rinsed out his mouth! I think he was terribly disappointed. Oh well. Too chocolate for his taste I guess. I made them with much less sugar than the recipe called for, which I guess didn’t appeal, but then I am the 90% chocolate fiend, while he likes Hershey’s “dark” chocolate which has like 5 bazillion grams of sugar. I will bring them in to work today, but I will forewarn the students. I do like to experiment, and they are often the “beneficiaries” meaning that they get what comes to them. If they want reliably excellent (and way way way too sugary) they can stick with the college’s cookies.
I do like to write and thing about food! In fact I spend just tons of time thinking about it. I cooked up some goat meat the other day, and left a couple of pieces for the prof to try. I wonder if he did. He seems to like to experiment with food, and I think their family diet is pretty traditional. So I can supply the new and different, at least in these few instances.
I think I’d better get a move on. I might actually make the 8:15 bus.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
photo issues, and other issues...
8:20 am
OK. So the Center for Ecological Technology guys involved with the Mass Save program just came by – 2 of them! One to look at the ceiling that was damaged by the insulation contractor (his worker put his foot through the ceiling while insulating the knee wall upstairs), one to look at the sealant that still needs doing. And both said “our person will call to set something up.” Meaning that the saga continues. And later today I have 2 different guys coming to give an estimate for the ceiling (ceiling/sealing/sealant – it does get damned confusing!).
If that were all I had to think about all day, it would be lovely. I’m not sure I even want to write about what else I have to think about. Too overwhelming. I made up a nice ToDo list on Sunday, and one of the things on it was to arrange with Mom about taking her to brunch on Sunday after G went to the climate change protest sleep-out in Worcester. And I actually did that one! I researched on line to find a place we could go; I called and chatted with Mom for a nice long time, all arranged. Then when I was all snug and reading in bed that night, G popped in to say that she would have to be in Ashfield for the play rehearsal until 9, not 6, as it is a dress rehearsal, so she will not be able to do the sleep over. Meaning there is no point in us driving to Worcester Sat night and spending the night at my sister’s, meaning that it is pretty silly to take Mom to breakfast at 8:30.
So now I must refigure. And I ought to do it reasonably soon so Mom knows the plan. Do we drive down Sun am and still take her to brunch (but not at 8:30!)? Do we take her to lunch? Do we take her to dinner? Last time we were there and took her to dinner it cost a very pretty penny. I was thinking brunch would be nice because it would not be quite so costly. Oh brother. And I tried to get K to talk about it last night and he said “I haven’t really thought about it. I was looking forward to taking G to the sleep out…..” Well, that is nice, but it is not happening, so now what? I suppose I could just go take Mom out by myself. Yuck. We are talking an hour and a half drive each way. Ok. So deal. It is my mother, it is her birthday, celebrating her birthday is important to her, so deal. I just wish there was some other reason to drive there to combine it. I suppose I could look into going to the mills in Lowell, but it is certainly not “on the way” or anything. Maybe there is something interesting to do in Worcester…….????? Hmmmm. A museum of some sort? I could find my way back to the mausoleum where Joe is, I keep wanting to do that. All these ideas are only if K does not want to come. And I don’t know when he’ll decide. If he wants to add something to the trip, it would involve some sort of shopping, and ixnay on that for me. Way to make an already tedious trip a thousand times worse: go shopping, and spend even MORE money.
I finished the lovely handwarmers I had started.
I am trying to post a photo and can't seem to do it.....
And I have started another pair. I finished the pink scarf, and will make a hat of the same stuff (but with alternating angora since I haven’t enough pink left). I have tons of fabulous orange (well, fabulous if you like orange, which I don’t so much) stuff to play with – carding carding carding. And I have an exam to start grading…..
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
OK. So the Center for Ecological Technology guys involved with the Mass Save program just came by – 2 of them! One to look at the ceiling that was damaged by the insulation contractor (his worker put his foot through the ceiling while insulating the knee wall upstairs), one to look at the sealant that still needs doing. And both said “our person will call to set something up.” Meaning that the saga continues. And later today I have 2 different guys coming to give an estimate for the ceiling (ceiling/sealing/sealant – it does get damned confusing!).
If that were all I had to think about all day, it would be lovely. I’m not sure I even want to write about what else I have to think about. Too overwhelming. I made up a nice ToDo list on Sunday, and one of the things on it was to arrange with Mom about taking her to brunch on Sunday after G went to the climate change protest sleep-out in Worcester. And I actually did that one! I researched on line to find a place we could go; I called and chatted with Mom for a nice long time, all arranged. Then when I was all snug and reading in bed that night, G popped in to say that she would have to be in Ashfield for the play rehearsal until 9, not 6, as it is a dress rehearsal, so she will not be able to do the sleep over. Meaning there is no point in us driving to Worcester Sat night and spending the night at my sister’s, meaning that it is pretty silly to take Mom to breakfast at 8:30.
So now I must refigure. And I ought to do it reasonably soon so Mom knows the plan. Do we drive down Sun am and still take her to brunch (but not at 8:30!)? Do we take her to lunch? Do we take her to dinner? Last time we were there and took her to dinner it cost a very pretty penny. I was thinking brunch would be nice because it would not be quite so costly. Oh brother. And I tried to get K to talk about it last night and he said “I haven’t really thought about it. I was looking forward to taking G to the sleep out…..” Well, that is nice, but it is not happening, so now what? I suppose I could just go take Mom out by myself. Yuck. We are talking an hour and a half drive each way. Ok. So deal. It is my mother, it is her birthday, celebrating her birthday is important to her, so deal. I just wish there was some other reason to drive there to combine it. I suppose I could look into going to the mills in Lowell, but it is certainly not “on the way” or anything. Maybe there is something interesting to do in Worcester…….????? Hmmmm. A museum of some sort? I could find my way back to the mausoleum where Joe is, I keep wanting to do that. All these ideas are only if K does not want to come. And I don’t know when he’ll decide. If he wants to add something to the trip, it would involve some sort of shopping, and ixnay on that for me. Way to make an already tedious trip a thousand times worse: go shopping, and spend even MORE money.
I finished the lovely handwarmers I had started.
I am trying to post a photo and can't seem to do it.....
And I have started another pair. I finished the pink scarf, and will make a hat of the same stuff (but with alternating angora since I haven’t enough pink left). I have tons of fabulous orange (well, fabulous if you like orange, which I don’t so much) stuff to play with – carding carding carding. And I have an exam to start grading…..
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Monday, October 18, 2010
This one is not even worth reading......
7:30 am
Well I feel like garbage. I have a cold and it means I didn’t sleep well, I am really tired and have no energy. That sucks. I do need to get in to work pretty early today. I need to work on the camera videos and using the imageJ program to analyze them. And I need to finish up the lab handouts. And I need to write that evaluation because I basically got nothing done yesterday. Well, I was busy. I did finish 3 skeins of angora which is nice. And I edited the exam and lab, sent along my comments. Didn’t do much else. I went to book club, but I hadn’t read the book (practically a first for me) and I was feeling crummy so I didn’t have much to say and I kind of didn’t want to be there.
Wow this is turning out to be quite a bummer of a bit of writing. I guess I’d better quit while I’m, if not ahead, at least not too far behind.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Well I feel like garbage. I have a cold and it means I didn’t sleep well, I am really tired and have no energy. That sucks. I do need to get in to work pretty early today. I need to work on the camera videos and using the imageJ program to analyze them. And I need to finish up the lab handouts. And I need to write that evaluation because I basically got nothing done yesterday. Well, I was busy. I did finish 3 skeins of angora which is nice. And I edited the exam and lab, sent along my comments. Didn’t do much else. I went to book club, but I hadn’t read the book (practically a first for me) and I was feeling crummy so I didn’t have much to say and I kind of didn’t want to be there.
Wow this is turning out to be quite a bummer of a bit of writing. I guess I’d better quit while I’m, if not ahead, at least not too far behind.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Heating Season
8:45 am
I am truly tempted to not write Morning Pages, but instead to crawl back into my warm snuggly bed and read The Good Soldier. Book club is meeting today, it is my book, and I have only barely started it! I did manage to finish The American, so I have started the other book, but just barely. And the house is very very cold. I actually broke down and turned on the heat. So it begins…the heating season. And the bed was so very warm. Tigger, in his disgustingness, rolled in something revolting while I fed the bunnies last night, so I had to hose him down in the shower. I dried him off as best I could, but he was still damp and I felt bad because it was pretty cold in the house, so I let him sleep on the bed again and even covered him up with some covers. He stayed right there all night. That’s 2 nights in a row, he’ll be bummed when K gets home and supplants him!
Rhinebeck – what to say? Well, it was a long day; we left here around 9:30 am and got home around the same pm. That’s a long day for me. Best parts – spending the whole day with my friend, buying some really good cheese, tasting all those interesting wines, seeing the interesting things people were wearing (and they had presumably made). I’m thinking and not coming up with a whole lot else. It’s not really my scene, with all the crowds of people and all the “shopping.” I am not a shopper. I did, of course, think about displays, things I could do in my own meager booth set ups. As if right now I have any time to implement anything. Hells bells I still need to just repair my tent from when it blew over in May! Well, whatever. It must have been at least 5 years since I’d been there, so it is good to check in now and then. Oh, and I only found 2 of my Bingo people! There are just so many people, how can one be expected to find these 25 known only by little photos? Well, actually the only way I actually found the 2 I did was by means of their Ravelry name buttons. I suppose I should get one of those. And we arrived at the tail end of the meet up at noon, so I found Kari there, but no one else. My second find was Nancy. So it was at least nice to meet them.
In some ways today is a lovely bit of empty space ahead of me – I have virtually no (!) grading to do (well, just one lab that got turned in late). BUT, I must look over the exam questions, that’s for work, then there is an almost unbearable amount of house stuff I need to do. Mostly tidying, but there’s also things like bill paying, and getting my brain around the woodlot stuff that I need to do. Like I said, what I really want to do is crawl back into bed and read The Good Soldier which by the way I am enjoying from the tiny bit I’ve read so far.
I guess I’d better get to it – meditate, eat breakfast, feed buns, then see how to arrange the day.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
I am truly tempted to not write Morning Pages, but instead to crawl back into my warm snuggly bed and read The Good Soldier. Book club is meeting today, it is my book, and I have only barely started it! I did manage to finish The American, so I have started the other book, but just barely. And the house is very very cold. I actually broke down and turned on the heat. So it begins…the heating season. And the bed was so very warm. Tigger, in his disgustingness, rolled in something revolting while I fed the bunnies last night, so I had to hose him down in the shower. I dried him off as best I could, but he was still damp and I felt bad because it was pretty cold in the house, so I let him sleep on the bed again and even covered him up with some covers. He stayed right there all night. That’s 2 nights in a row, he’ll be bummed when K gets home and supplants him!
Rhinebeck – what to say? Well, it was a long day; we left here around 9:30 am and got home around the same pm. That’s a long day for me. Best parts – spending the whole day with my friend, buying some really good cheese, tasting all those interesting wines, seeing the interesting things people were wearing (and they had presumably made). I’m thinking and not coming up with a whole lot else. It’s not really my scene, with all the crowds of people and all the “shopping.” I am not a shopper. I did, of course, think about displays, things I could do in my own meager booth set ups. As if right now I have any time to implement anything. Hells bells I still need to just repair my tent from when it blew over in May! Well, whatever. It must have been at least 5 years since I’d been there, so it is good to check in now and then. Oh, and I only found 2 of my Bingo people! There are just so many people, how can one be expected to find these 25 known only by little photos? Well, actually the only way I actually found the 2 I did was by means of their Ravelry name buttons. I suppose I should get one of those. And we arrived at the tail end of the meet up at noon, so I found Kari there, but no one else. My second find was Nancy. So it was at least nice to meet them.
In some ways today is a lovely bit of empty space ahead of me – I have virtually no (!) grading to do (well, just one lab that got turned in late). BUT, I must look over the exam questions, that’s for work, then there is an almost unbearable amount of house stuff I need to do. Mostly tidying, but there’s also things like bill paying, and getting my brain around the woodlot stuff that I need to do. Like I said, what I really want to do is crawl back into bed and read The Good Soldier which by the way I am enjoying from the tiny bit I’ve read so far.
I guess I’d better get to it – meditate, eat breakfast, feed buns, then see how to arrange the day.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Rhinebeck is coming!
8:15 am
Rhinebeck is happening this weekend and for the first time in many years I am going.
Mainly because my friend is curious about it, so we will check it out. I assume it will be much more fun with her, as we can be hyper critical and do whatever it takes to keep our spirits up. The truth is that I usually do not like going to fiber fairs, or any kind of craft fairs for that matter. I find them quite depressing. At craft fairs I walk around wondering why anyone would want to buy a lot of the stuff I see. Or I find the things pretty/beautiful/lovely to look at, but being an incredible cheapskate I would not want to buy them. Well, I just don’t like to buy anything, not only because I do not like to spend money, but I know how cluttered the house already is and I don’t want to add to it. Then there is the issue of my competitive nature coming out. This is what happens at fiber fairs. I have issues with competition. I think that I actually am very competitive, but I am also very uncomfortable with that part of myself, so in any kind of competitive situation I tend to shut down. I’d rather back down than compete. I realize that doesn’t really make sense. If I back down, then how can I say I am competitive? Well, I back down, but not because I am not competitive, but because I am not confident. And I don’t like to lose. So I back out and don’t compete. If that makes sense. And the whole “vending thing” can have quite a competitive aspect. Well, anyway, for me, when I walk around fiber fairs I see all this great stuff that people are buying and then I feel like I don’t measure up in some way or another.
Oh boy, now anybody at Rhinebeck that sees me will really look at me askance. Oh well, I’m just trying to be honest. I imagine that it will be fun. I will NOT buy any fleeces/rabbits/roving because I have more than I need of all those things. I will buy food, maybe some really good cheese that is always there, maybe some of the interesting food booth stuff, though I will have to be careful to get stuff that I can digest easily. I will also bring lunch to be sure. I really don’t think there is any equipment type stuff I need. Oh, one thing I might buy is some dye. That will be a fun quest.
Today I need to shove my nose to the grindstone and grade both sets of labs. I would like to return them tomorrow, don’t know if that will happen. It’s cold and miserable outside, so I guess it will mean the grading happens inside. K will leave from work today to go to Bar Harbor to see L. Lucky him. It does mean that I can keep grading tonight. I am thawing some frozen ratatouille, and I think I will thaw some meat for supper. I’d better make some smoothies soon to use the mellon and strawberries that are frozen. Gotta make room for the new meat order.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Rhinebeck is happening this weekend and for the first time in many years I am going.
Here is what I might look like.
I understand it will be chilly, and now it looks like it might actually rain, so who knows, maybe I will be adding a long yellow raincoat to that. But regardless I will probably wear my lovely and perhaps silly looking lined yellow cap and scarf. I think the mittens will stay home.
Here's from the back!
And here's me with a bunny because who can resist. But she won't be coming
Mainly because my friend is curious about it, so we will check it out. I assume it will be much more fun with her, as we can be hyper critical and do whatever it takes to keep our spirits up. The truth is that I usually do not like going to fiber fairs, or any kind of craft fairs for that matter. I find them quite depressing. At craft fairs I walk around wondering why anyone would want to buy a lot of the stuff I see. Or I find the things pretty/beautiful/lovely to look at, but being an incredible cheapskate I would not want to buy them. Well, I just don’t like to buy anything, not only because I do not like to spend money, but I know how cluttered the house already is and I don’t want to add to it. Then there is the issue of my competitive nature coming out. This is what happens at fiber fairs. I have issues with competition. I think that I actually am very competitive, but I am also very uncomfortable with that part of myself, so in any kind of competitive situation I tend to shut down. I’d rather back down than compete. I realize that doesn’t really make sense. If I back down, then how can I say I am competitive? Well, I back down, but not because I am not competitive, but because I am not confident. And I don’t like to lose. So I back out and don’t compete. If that makes sense. And the whole “vending thing” can have quite a competitive aspect. Well, anyway, for me, when I walk around fiber fairs I see all this great stuff that people are buying and then I feel like I don’t measure up in some way or another.
Oh boy, now anybody at Rhinebeck that sees me will really look at me askance. Oh well, I’m just trying to be honest. I imagine that it will be fun. I will NOT buy any fleeces/rabbits/roving because I have more than I need of all those things. I will buy food, maybe some really good cheese that is always there, maybe some of the interesting food booth stuff, though I will have to be careful to get stuff that I can digest easily. I will also bring lunch to be sure. I really don’t think there is any equipment type stuff I need. Oh, one thing I might buy is some dye. That will be a fun quest.
Today I need to shove my nose to the grindstone and grade both sets of labs. I would like to return them tomorrow, don’t know if that will happen. It’s cold and miserable outside, so I guess it will mean the grading happens inside. K will leave from work today to go to Bar Harbor to see L. Lucky him. It does mean that I can keep grading tonight. I am thawing some frozen ratatouille, and I think I will thaw some meat for supper. I’d better make some smoothies soon to use the mellon and strawberries that are frozen. Gotta make room for the new meat order.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Chilly Weather is coming
8 am
It’s cold this morning!!! and that sucks because what it means is that soon very soon we will need to crank up the woodstove and thus sooner sooner we need to get a move on with: splitting wood, hauling it in, stacking it up….. all those tasks that we could have done all summer, but of course didn’t. We also need to order more wood (and stack that) to dry for next year. It will be nice to get the stove going again, though. Nice and cozy.
I had odsbodkins dreams again last night, I’ve been having a lot of them lately. Of course right now I don’t really remember them all. And it took me forever to get to sleep last night. What I REALLY need to do is work on the exercise thing. Especially now that MHC has changed the new sport center policy back to allowing employees free access. No excuse now, except for time. Yesterday I went in really late (after all the: meet with college counselor/walk home [see, I do get some exercise]/supervise chimney cleaning and new fridge installation stuff) and after meeting with the student I stayed for even a while longer and worked on a bit of stuff so I got home around 7 and it was just fine. I heated up casserole for supper (K had a client so he ate later). I could do that more often, exercise after work and get home late. Well, as long as I thought ahead and made casserole. Like I have not done today. In the interest of getting some stuff out of the freezer, I think I will thaw some meat today. After all, Friday I will be getting a whole meat distribution from the farm and I have no idea how it will fit. I used a quart of frozen squash last night to make “pumpkin” squares for work. Not sure how they turned out – I think my big mistake was using honey to sweeten instead of maple syrup. I had forgotten which I used the last time. I think the honey is too acidic. Well, I will try one later this morning. This Wednesday lab group says they want me to bring in goodies, so we’ll see if they still do after today’s sample… the carrot squares I brought in last Thursday (which I thought were delicious) the lab group never even touched! I guess they are not a hungry crowd. Maybe lunches on Thursdays are especially good.
I did manage to get in some spinning yesterday. I finished the singles for the last of the pink stuff, MAYBE I’ll ply it this morning. That would be nice, as then I could bring the scarf on the bus to work on. I guess it is time to get a move on.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
It’s cold this morning!!! and that sucks because what it means is that soon very soon we will need to crank up the woodstove and thus sooner sooner we need to get a move on with: splitting wood, hauling it in, stacking it up….. all those tasks that we could have done all summer, but of course didn’t. We also need to order more wood (and stack that) to dry for next year. It will be nice to get the stove going again, though. Nice and cozy.
I had odsbodkins dreams again last night, I’ve been having a lot of them lately. Of course right now I don’t really remember them all. And it took me forever to get to sleep last night. What I REALLY need to do is work on the exercise thing. Especially now that MHC has changed the new sport center policy back to allowing employees free access. No excuse now, except for time. Yesterday I went in really late (after all the: meet with college counselor/walk home [see, I do get some exercise]/supervise chimney cleaning and new fridge installation stuff) and after meeting with the student I stayed for even a while longer and worked on a bit of stuff so I got home around 7 and it was just fine. I heated up casserole for supper (K had a client so he ate later). I could do that more often, exercise after work and get home late. Well, as long as I thought ahead and made casserole. Like I have not done today. In the interest of getting some stuff out of the freezer, I think I will thaw some meat today. After all, Friday I will be getting a whole meat distribution from the farm and I have no idea how it will fit. I used a quart of frozen squash last night to make “pumpkin” squares for work. Not sure how they turned out – I think my big mistake was using honey to sweeten instead of maple syrup. I had forgotten which I used the last time. I think the honey is too acidic. Well, I will try one later this morning. This Wednesday lab group says they want me to bring in goodies, so we’ll see if they still do after today’s sample… the carrot squares I brought in last Thursday (which I thought were delicious) the lab group never even touched! I guess they are not a hungry crowd. Maybe lunches on Thursdays are especially good.
I did manage to get in some spinning yesterday. I finished the singles for the last of the pink stuff, MAYBE I’ll ply it this morning. That would be nice, as then I could bring the scarf on the bus to work on. I guess it is time to get a move on.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Daily Realities
8 am
It is going to be a rather crazy day today. Let’s see if I can even anticipate: 9 am meet with G and the college counselor. How that will go we shall see. Then I assume I will leave the car at school for G and take the bus/walk home. At 12:30 the chimney sweep is supposed to come, sometime between 12 and 4 the new refrigerator is supposed to arrive (meaning I must move everything from the old to the new while he is here), at 5 I must be at work to meet with a student because I screwed up last week and missed our appointment. And at 2:30 G must get to the foot doctor’s in South Deerfield to get her plantar’s warts dealt with. I assume this will be the first of many appointments. AND somehow in there I really need to start on grading the labs that got turned in last week. AND there are other Todos like stuff I need to start working on for Sheep and Wool fair. The cochairs had a conference call last night that lasted an hour and a half. I need to write up an agenda for the Nov meeting. I REALLY need to call re the dreaded Barn Five stuff….
I did manage to sit and do some spinning last night which was very nice. I did more of the pink stuff that I already started knitting into a scarf. It’s really nice, thicker than I had planned meaning that once I finish the scarf it will probably use most of it, and the scarf will be several ounces.
I guess I’d better get a move on. I do want to mediate and I still have to feed buns before I leave for the HS.
It is going to be a rather crazy day today. Let’s see if I can even anticipate: 9 am meet with G and the college counselor. How that will go we shall see. Then I assume I will leave the car at school for G and take the bus/walk home. At 12:30 the chimney sweep is supposed to come, sometime between 12 and 4 the new refrigerator is supposed to arrive (meaning I must move everything from the old to the new while he is here), at 5 I must be at work to meet with a student because I screwed up last week and missed our appointment. And at 2:30 G must get to the foot doctor’s in South Deerfield to get her plantar’s warts dealt with. I assume this will be the first of many appointments. AND somehow in there I really need to start on grading the labs that got turned in last week. AND there are other Todos like stuff I need to start working on for Sheep and Wool fair. The cochairs had a conference call last night that lasted an hour and a half. I need to write up an agenda for the Nov meeting. I REALLY need to call re the dreaded Barn Five stuff….
I did manage to sit and do some spinning last night which was very nice. I did more of the pink stuff that I already started knitting into a scarf. It’s really nice, thicker than I had planned meaning that once I finish the scarf it will probably use most of it, and the scarf will be several ounces.
I guess I’d better get a move on. I do want to mediate and I still have to feed buns before I leave for the HS.
Monday, October 11, 2010
A Day to Relax?
10:30 am
The big day after. And I woke up, relaxed in bed, meditated and got up thinking how nice it would be to write lovely Morning Pages. But then I went downstairs and got sucked into family stuff. I am at the family property and we got into a needed discussion about the woodlot and Trust et al. It wasn’t how I wanted to start my lovely “vacation day,” but now I can write. Well, maybe except that now I am out on the porch and others have gathered here and there is lots of random discussion about Facebook entries and other family junk. Oh well. What would be nice would be for me to find someplace far from the madding crowd, but I don’t know if that will happen. I feel like if I left the porch it would be oh so rude of me. I wish I didn’t care. All kinds of woodlot/family/property discussion is going on all around me. And it is of course stuff that is full of conjecture and what ifs and tends to go round and round. I really don’t want to listen to it. And last night I really didn’t so much want to even be here. I think I would have preferred to stay at home. But I also felt compelled to come up because of Mom being here, that I “ought” to come up to visit briefly with her. But really, being around my family can be stressful for me. If none of them were here, then sure, it would be I suppose nice to be up and enjoy the lovely fall day. I did bring my wheel and I suppose in a bit I will get it out and spin, though I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that outside as it is windy.
Saturday I joined some of the Amherst 350 folks at the farmer’s market on the common to advertise our event. I told them I would come sit at the table and bring my wheel and a rabbit to attract attention. It worked pretty well. Except it was windy and made the spinning part annoying. And the bunny I brought was not that happy to sit in my lap while I spun. It worked ok while one of the others held her. With me she got restless and nibbly. In all it was kind of an exhausting 3 hours and I got really thirsty and a bit sun-burned.
Yesterday. Well, it went pretty well, pretty much as expected. There were some groups that I thought would be there that did not appear, the solar oven demonstration was not that great – I thought we would get folks to make their own, but really our demonstrator just made one and then we had a few demo ones. A student brought the one she made in Middle School and it worked great. The demonstrator had a commercial one that also worked well. My rinky-dink homemade one was not so great. Of course it helped a lot once we got them all into full sun. It was pretty shady there at the pond at first, and unfortunately the tables were all set up close to the road and in the full shade, so the ovens had to be moved kind of far away closer to the pond. Once there, the commercial one got up to 300 degrees. Mine got hot, but not hot enough to get the jars of dye hot. I am inspired, though, to make a few more, using a mix of the technique I used, and newly gleaned ideas. I got so many boxes from the liquor store, and I think they are the perfect size for putting mayo jars of dye in. It would be cool to see if I can get them to even work on cold but sunny days. After all, in the amazing heat we had this summer, one could practically just put the stuff out in the sun, as I did at Three Mile with the Koolaid Dyeing.
So now in spite of myself I am getting sucked into all kinds of family discussion. It is ok, but I think I will give up on attempting to write.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
The big day after. And I woke up, relaxed in bed, meditated and got up thinking how nice it would be to write lovely Morning Pages. But then I went downstairs and got sucked into family stuff. I am at the family property and we got into a needed discussion about the woodlot and Trust et al. It wasn’t how I wanted to start my lovely “vacation day,” but now I can write. Well, maybe except that now I am out on the porch and others have gathered here and there is lots of random discussion about Facebook entries and other family junk. Oh well. What would be nice would be for me to find someplace far from the madding crowd, but I don’t know if that will happen. I feel like if I left the porch it would be oh so rude of me. I wish I didn’t care. All kinds of woodlot/family/property discussion is going on all around me. And it is of course stuff that is full of conjecture and what ifs and tends to go round and round. I really don’t want to listen to it. And last night I really didn’t so much want to even be here. I think I would have preferred to stay at home. But I also felt compelled to come up because of Mom being here, that I “ought” to come up to visit briefly with her. But really, being around my family can be stressful for me. If none of them were here, then sure, it would be I suppose nice to be up and enjoy the lovely fall day. I did bring my wheel and I suppose in a bit I will get it out and spin, though I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that outside as it is windy.
Saturday I joined some of the Amherst 350 folks at the farmer’s market on the common to advertise our event. I told them I would come sit at the table and bring my wheel and a rabbit to attract attention. It worked pretty well. Except it was windy and made the spinning part annoying. And the bunny I brought was not that happy to sit in my lap while I spun. It worked ok while one of the others held her. With me she got restless and nibbly. In all it was kind of an exhausting 3 hours and I got really thirsty and a bit sun-burned.
Yesterday. Well, it went pretty well, pretty much as expected. There were some groups that I thought would be there that did not appear, the solar oven demonstration was not that great – I thought we would get folks to make their own, but really our demonstrator just made one and then we had a few demo ones. A student brought the one she made in Middle School and it worked great. The demonstrator had a commercial one that also worked well. My rinky-dink homemade one was not so great. Of course it helped a lot once we got them all into full sun. It was pretty shady there at the pond at first, and unfortunately the tables were all set up close to the road and in the full shade, so the ovens had to be moved kind of far away closer to the pond. Once there, the commercial one got up to 300 degrees. Mine got hot, but not hot enough to get the jars of dye hot. I am inspired, though, to make a few more, using a mix of the technique I used, and newly gleaned ideas. I got so many boxes from the liquor store, and I think they are the perfect size for putting mayo jars of dye in. It would be cool to see if I can get them to even work on cold but sunny days. After all, in the amazing heat we had this summer, one could practically just put the stuff out in the sun, as I did at Three Mile with the Koolaid Dyeing.
So now in spite of myself I am getting sucked into all kinds of family discussion. It is ok, but I think I will give up on attempting to write.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Sunday, October 10, 2010
10/10/10 350 Climate Action Day!
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I still have a whole lot to do today, gather things, load up the camper bus, refine what I will put on my letter writing table. But I did manage to come up with some sample letters:
Dear
I am writing to express my concern over the increasing levels of Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. The temperature of our planet is increasing, glaciers and arctic ice are melting at an alarming rate, and we are already seeing local disastrous effects such as fires across Russia and flooding in Pakistan. We need everyone to start working now on getting us back to 350 parts per million of CO2. This is the level that is sustainable for our planet.
I am asking you to start taking this issue seriously. It will take all of us: public, elected officials, corporations working together if we expect to get back to 350ppm.
Sincerely,
"I'm getting to work on the climate crisis--and I expect you to do the same."
I did a bit of lovely knitting last night, a much needed break. I'll have to post photos later.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Friday, October 08, 2010
Life intervenes
See what happens when things get busy? Not only do I not write, but I didn't even bring my knitting to work today and today is the day that our informal knitting group meets at lunch time!! I did manage to pop over to say hi, but I had no knitting. Damn.
I spent most of the day messing with cameras and computers to try to figure stuff out so that we can do a lab that will involve having the students videotape toads and themselves jumping, then analyzing those jumps. Sounds cool, eh? But getting the equipment logistics worked out is a bitch.
And I will be very glad when the 350 event is done. I feel like I have not done as much as I should because I have been so busy. How it goes I guess, we do what we can.
But here is some great news!!!!: Obama has agreed to put solar panels back on the White House! Hurray!
Now i am going to spin for a little bit.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
I spent most of the day messing with cameras and computers to try to figure stuff out so that we can do a lab that will involve having the students videotape toads and themselves jumping, then analyzing those jumps. Sounds cool, eh? But getting the equipment logistics worked out is a bitch.
And I will be very glad when the 350 event is done. I feel like I have not done as much as I should because I have been so busy. How it goes I guess, we do what we can.
But here is some great news!!!!: Obama has agreed to put solar panels back on the White House! Hurray!
Now i am going to spin for a little bit.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Monday, October 04, 2010
A Lovely Sunday
8 am
So is it better to have a great day not doing that much, or to work my tail off, actually get a lot accomplished and be miserable? I guess life needs to be a mix of both. I can’t even really remember what I did yesterday, just that it was very nice and peaceful. I suppose I didn’t accomplish much. I did manage to grade a good bunch of the labs I have, but they were pretty easy. I did some more knitting and that was nice. I washed the rest of the bags – wooo hoooo. And I enjoyed the sunshine and put out a bit of angora to solar dye, or at least start to. It won’t get any farther for a while since it is supposed to be cloudy most of the week. I also managed to go through a lot of emails (mostly tossing things) and caught up on the 350.org stuff. Well, not completely, I really need to write up something to send out to folks at the colleges. And I truly screwed up with the churches, but I can still try to inform them so they can put it in the bulletins for this week.
I’m also thinking about how, I think all kinds of things during the day, but what I write here is what comes to me in the morning as I am sitting at this computer here in the living room. I wonder if it would be vastly different if I were to write at a different time (mid-morning pages, or late afternoon pages) or in a different place, like from work. I had thought that once work started I might end up doing that, but because lecture is 11-12:15, I do not have much time between that and either lab conference and lab, not like when lecture ends at 10:50 and I have over 2 hours. So I find that when I am at work I am really busy, while since lecture is late, I have a bit more time in the morning. Well, I should try to get the 9 oclock bus today which means I will soon need to get going. I need to put actual numbers on those labs, and confer about them with the prof. Oh and the tiny, runty white bunny died yesterday. I asked the prof if he might want it for any kind of dissection reason, but he said no. I think I’ll bring it in anyway and dispose of it in the bio waste freezer which is way easier than digging a hole while it is raining. It is sad but entirely not surprising, that one was looking worse and worse and I am surprised it survived this long.
The best thing about yesterday was that I was alone most of the day. I did talk to two friends on the phone which was nice. And G was here for a while late in the day after work, and that was nice too. But I didn’t have to conform to anyone, please anyone, deal with anyone. It was lovely. And I made a wonderful casserole, finally using one of the spaghetti squashes from the CSA farm. I cooked the squash, pulled out all the “spaghetti strands,” layered them with roasted ratatouille and cottage cheese and cheddar cheese, and baked it. The squash has a lot of moisture to it, so it ended up pretty wet, but it was delicious. I’ll take it to work.
This week in lab is kind of confusing. Because of Mt Day Tues and Thurs labs will evaluate videos of animals eating. Wed lab will do the heart/lung dissection. It will keep me on my toes. I hope the dissection will go better since I’ve done it once, I wasn’t that happy with how it went last week. The video stuff will just be what it is… I’ve never done anything like it, and I don’t know how the students will react. We’ll have to see.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
So is it better to have a great day not doing that much, or to work my tail off, actually get a lot accomplished and be miserable? I guess life needs to be a mix of both. I can’t even really remember what I did yesterday, just that it was very nice and peaceful. I suppose I didn’t accomplish much. I did manage to grade a good bunch of the labs I have, but they were pretty easy. I did some more knitting and that was nice. I washed the rest of the bags – wooo hoooo. And I enjoyed the sunshine and put out a bit of angora to solar dye, or at least start to. It won’t get any farther for a while since it is supposed to be cloudy most of the week. I also managed to go through a lot of emails (mostly tossing things) and caught up on the 350.org stuff. Well, not completely, I really need to write up something to send out to folks at the colleges. And I truly screwed up with the churches, but I can still try to inform them so they can put it in the bulletins for this week.
I’m also thinking about how, I think all kinds of things during the day, but what I write here is what comes to me in the morning as I am sitting at this computer here in the living room. I wonder if it would be vastly different if I were to write at a different time (mid-morning pages, or late afternoon pages) or in a different place, like from work. I had thought that once work started I might end up doing that, but because lecture is 11-12:15, I do not have much time between that and either lab conference and lab, not like when lecture ends at 10:50 and I have over 2 hours. So I find that when I am at work I am really busy, while since lecture is late, I have a bit more time in the morning. Well, I should try to get the 9 oclock bus today which means I will soon need to get going. I need to put actual numbers on those labs, and confer about them with the prof. Oh and the tiny, runty white bunny died yesterday. I asked the prof if he might want it for any kind of dissection reason, but he said no. I think I’ll bring it in anyway and dispose of it in the bio waste freezer which is way easier than digging a hole while it is raining. It is sad but entirely not surprising, that one was looking worse and worse and I am surprised it survived this long.
The best thing about yesterday was that I was alone most of the day. I did talk to two friends on the phone which was nice. And G was here for a while late in the day after work, and that was nice too. But I didn’t have to conform to anyone, please anyone, deal with anyone. It was lovely. And I made a wonderful casserole, finally using one of the spaghetti squashes from the CSA farm. I cooked the squash, pulled out all the “spaghetti strands,” layered them with roasted ratatouille and cottage cheese and cheddar cheese, and baked it. The squash has a lot of moisture to it, so it ended up pretty wet, but it was delicious. I’ll take it to work.
This week in lab is kind of confusing. Because of Mt Day Tues and Thurs labs will evaluate videos of animals eating. Wed lab will do the heart/lung dissection. It will keep me on my toes. I hope the dissection will go better since I’ve done it once, I wasn’t that happy with how it went last week. The video stuff will just be what it is… I’ve never done anything like it, and I don’t know how the students will react. We’ll have to see.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
Sunday, October 03, 2010
decadence
8:40 am
This morning I luxuriously laid abed from about 6:30 until after 8! It was wonderful, I just lay there dozing, waking, thinking about not much. The only distraction was Tigger who was laying outside the door and whining every now and then because he wanted to be fed. Only then when I fed him he looked at me funny, so I wonder if G fed him when she got up for work at 6. Maybe he was just whining because he wanted me to get up.
Yesterday was lovely. I did a lot of carding
and spun a bit. It is tempting on a day like that, when everyone is gone and I have nothing planned, to call someone, arrange a get together of some kind. But I decided to resist the temptation and just go with being alone. And I had a lovely time. I did go out to run some errands (took the mattress and insulation and basement rug to the dump, picked up a check from the rental house, and picked up grain from the Farmers Supply). And I left myself open to supper with G. I asked if she wanted to get supper at Mom’s House, and she said maybe….. several times she said maybe….. at that age, I think kids are incapable of planning ahead. They want to keep everything open to whatever possibility might present itself (like something better than supper with Mom). So I was ok with that. Just go with the flow. If I eventually got hungry and G had not gotten to yes, I could very easily fix myself something to eat. Well I was just finishing up some spinning (about 5:45) when she appeared with her friend and asked did I want to go to Mom’s Place. Ok! We got delicious take out, and came home and ate it in the living room because the kitchen table is such a mess! What decadence!
For one accomplishment I did wash bags yesterday.
Not all of them, but the easy ones. I think I will wash the rest today.
Yesterday and today are good drying bags on the line days. I suppose I should check the weather to see what’s predicted at this point for next Sunday (10-10-10).
I must feed buns soon, and I think I will pluck Crystal and Bathsheba today. And clean up Alice who is a mess. I moved rabbits around yesterday so the big litter and Mom Cream are in the big hutch
(not the huge makeshift cage, the teenage boys are still in that), and Bathsheba and daughter are in the hutch over to the side, and I separated the 2 white girl teens since they weren’t getting along so well. They’re next to each other and next to Angel their mom so they can all still commune. I need to put up bunny for sale signs. And I forgot to bring them with me yesterday to put one in the Farmers Supply. Oh well, I need to remember to bring them everywhere I go.
I also have to do 350 stuff, and I don’t want to think (write) about it. I did think a bit last night, after I had to turn off my Planet Earth video so G could write a paper, and I think I’ll be ok with what I need to do. It is important to me to break things into manageable steps because I find it so easy to get overwhelmed. Like I need to start in on the grading. I did just get started on it last night, and I don’t think it will be too bad. Just need to make sure I don’t spend too much time writing too much.
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
This morning I luxuriously laid abed from about 6:30 until after 8! It was wonderful, I just lay there dozing, waking, thinking about not much. The only distraction was Tigger who was laying outside the door and whining every now and then because he wanted to be fed. Only then when I fed him he looked at me funny, so I wonder if G fed him when she got up for work at 6. Maybe he was just whining because he wanted me to get up.
Yesterday was lovely. I did a lot of carding
 |
| Carded Angora |
 | |
| Blended Wool and Angora Ready to Spin! |
and spun a bit. It is tempting on a day like that, when everyone is gone and I have nothing planned, to call someone, arrange a get together of some kind. But I decided to resist the temptation and just go with being alone. And I had a lovely time. I did go out to run some errands (took the mattress and insulation and basement rug to the dump, picked up a check from the rental house, and picked up grain from the Farmers Supply). And I left myself open to supper with G. I asked if she wanted to get supper at Mom’s House, and she said maybe….. several times she said maybe….. at that age, I think kids are incapable of planning ahead. They want to keep everything open to whatever possibility might present itself (like something better than supper with Mom). So I was ok with that. Just go with the flow. If I eventually got hungry and G had not gotten to yes, I could very easily fix myself something to eat. Well I was just finishing up some spinning (about 5:45) when she appeared with her friend and asked did I want to go to Mom’s Place. Ok! We got delicious take out, and came home and ate it in the living room because the kitchen table is such a mess! What decadence!
For one accomplishment I did wash bags yesterday.
 |
| the bags |
Not all of them, but the easy ones. I think I will wash the rest today.
 | |
| Artsy Shot |
Yesterday and today are good drying bags on the line days. I suppose I should check the weather to see what’s predicted at this point for next Sunday (10-10-10).
I must feed buns soon, and I think I will pluck Crystal and Bathsheba today. And clean up Alice who is a mess. I moved rabbits around yesterday so the big litter and Mom Cream are in the big hutch
 |
| Bavarian Cream and her Babes |
 |
| The new Set-Up |
I also have to do 350 stuff, and I don’t want to think (write) about it. I did think a bit last night, after I had to turn off my Planet Earth video so G could write a paper, and I think I’ll be ok with what I need to do. It is important to me to break things into manageable steps because I find it so easy to get overwhelmed. Like I need to start in on the grading. I did just get started on it last night, and I don’t think it will be too bad. Just need to make sure I don’t spend too much time writing too much.
 |
| Current and Just Finished Projects: Hats! Note the Angora Lining. |
Saturday, October 02, 2010
fibery and other ramblings
8:20 am
K is off to see his folks, he already called last night and just now this morning. I was just at the end of meditating, but yesterday morning I was interrupted also because G came downstairs and I wanted to talk to her before she left. I should be better about setting aside my meditation time more rigorously.
I actually have an entire weekend with nothing that I must do. I spent a good part of Mountain Day Wed carding dyed angora, and I did some more yesterday afternoon from when I got home around 4:30 until I had to go to First Person at 7 (well in between I meditated and fed buns and enjoyed G and her friends as they tried on crazy clothes for the Homecoming Dance. They didn’t end up wearing any of them, and by the time I got home at 9:30 G was home so I don’t know how long she stayed or if it turned out to be any fun). Back to angora: I hope to do some blending of that angora and spin some up. I want to make more of that really soft blended colored stuff and perhaps make a scarf or two for the Hartsbrook and Big Brother Big Sister fairs. I started a hat it must have been Thurs on the bus, and I actually finished it last night. It is lined up over the ears, then the rest not lined, knit with the green stuff I dyed earlier in batts. I like it ok, not as much as the orangy one that the woman from Wellesley wanted, which I hope to mail off today. The base yarn for that is much softer and thicker. I think I need to focus on other wools than Romney to combine with the angora; I think the Romney is too coarse. Of course I could use Romney lamb. I still have a good bit of Cormo, but it is a pain to wash. Well, I’ll have to work on that. And save the Romney for things like my spinning class because it is easy to spin.
Wow lots of fiber news. I guess that is the nice stuff on my mind. Everything else I want to put out of my mind. Like 350 stuff I MUST do, and woodlot stuff and worrying about G and college stuff and grading that needs to get done this weekend. And the fact that I don’t really get excited about First Person. I mean it ends up being just a tiny few of us, which is ok, but what happens to all the other people that show up now and then. Do we really just scare them off? Do we seem too cliquey? Is it not what they think it will be? It is billed as Memoirs, but it often ends up just ramble-y writing. And I don’t even write memoir. I don’t really want to write memoir. I have little interest in writing memoir. L is the one that writes memoir. Maybe it should be billed as just a writing group, memoir or anything else. I actually miss J who did, after all, write true memoirs and they were so interesting. I often don’t feel like going and yet feel obligated to keep my friends happy. I really don’t want to put a bunch of effort into coming up with a bunch of stuff for this book that they envision. And since it is only 4 of us at this point, we would be the only ones entering anything and that seems dumb. There have been interesting people over the years, with interesting writings, but they have all drifted away. Maybe it is time to take a break from it, but the others would be so upset. Well, I read 2 poems, and I actually even wrote one in anticipation of the meeting when I got together with them Thurs night, so I guess the group pushed me a bit that way. And besides that I quietly knit and managed to finish the hat. So that is good.
The other truly crucial MUST DO this weekend is to tidy up. The house is a total disaster (which is what my poem was about!) and needs some attention. I think I will start with that, once I do my stretches, get dressed, and feed buns (it is actually cold out, so I’ll have to bundle up a bit).
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
K is off to see his folks, he already called last night and just now this morning. I was just at the end of meditating, but yesterday morning I was interrupted also because G came downstairs and I wanted to talk to her before she left. I should be better about setting aside my meditation time more rigorously.
I actually have an entire weekend with nothing that I must do. I spent a good part of Mountain Day Wed carding dyed angora, and I did some more yesterday afternoon from when I got home around 4:30 until I had to go to First Person at 7 (well in between I meditated and fed buns and enjoyed G and her friends as they tried on crazy clothes for the Homecoming Dance. They didn’t end up wearing any of them, and by the time I got home at 9:30 G was home so I don’t know how long she stayed or if it turned out to be any fun). Back to angora: I hope to do some blending of that angora and spin some up. I want to make more of that really soft blended colored stuff and perhaps make a scarf or two for the Hartsbrook and Big Brother Big Sister fairs. I started a hat it must have been Thurs on the bus, and I actually finished it last night. It is lined up over the ears, then the rest not lined, knit with the green stuff I dyed earlier in batts. I like it ok, not as much as the orangy one that the woman from Wellesley wanted, which I hope to mail off today. The base yarn for that is much softer and thicker. I think I need to focus on other wools than Romney to combine with the angora; I think the Romney is too coarse. Of course I could use Romney lamb. I still have a good bit of Cormo, but it is a pain to wash. Well, I’ll have to work on that. And save the Romney for things like my spinning class because it is easy to spin.
Wow lots of fiber news. I guess that is the nice stuff on my mind. Everything else I want to put out of my mind. Like 350 stuff I MUST do, and woodlot stuff and worrying about G and college stuff and grading that needs to get done this weekend. And the fact that I don’t really get excited about First Person. I mean it ends up being just a tiny few of us, which is ok, but what happens to all the other people that show up now and then. Do we really just scare them off? Do we seem too cliquey? Is it not what they think it will be? It is billed as Memoirs, but it often ends up just ramble-y writing. And I don’t even write memoir. I don’t really want to write memoir. I have little interest in writing memoir. L is the one that writes memoir. Maybe it should be billed as just a writing group, memoir or anything else. I actually miss J who did, after all, write true memoirs and they were so interesting. I often don’t feel like going and yet feel obligated to keep my friends happy. I really don’t want to put a bunch of effort into coming up with a bunch of stuff for this book that they envision. And since it is only 4 of us at this point, we would be the only ones entering anything and that seems dumb. There have been interesting people over the years, with interesting writings, but they have all drifted away. Maybe it is time to take a break from it, but the others would be so upset. Well, I read 2 poems, and I actually even wrote one in anticipation of the meeting when I got together with them Thurs night, so I guess the group pushed me a bit that way. And besides that I quietly knit and managed to finish the hat. So that is good.
The other truly crucial MUST DO this weekend is to tidy up. The house is a total disaster (which is what my poem was about!) and needs some attention. I think I will start with that, once I do my stretches, get dressed, and feed buns (it is actually cold out, so I’ll have to bundle up a bit).
Visit my new Etsy Shop!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twistedmysteries
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